Five DIY plant hacks that will make your plants happy
Updated | By The Workzone with Elana Afrika-Bredenkamp
If you have green fingers but sometimes feel like the cost of keeping your plants healthy can become too much, then these tips were made for you.
Gardening is considered an activity that can destress and be incredibly calming, but if you are not born with green fingers, perhaps you might need some help to become a better gardener.
Being a better gardener doesn't always mean spending more money; it just means learning to treat your plants with the care and love they deserve.
There's this misconception that just watering your plants is enough, and as your first point, remember that's not enough.
Here are some great DIY tips on being a great plant person.
1. A nitrogen recipe for plants
While humans require protein to grow, plants need nitrogen. The Creative Explained guy shared that when you add the tea leaves of a teabag into a jar with one tablespoon of oats and boiling water, and leave this to steep for more than an hour, you will get a liquid that helps boost your plants growth.
READ MORE: Part one: Useful life hacks found in 2024
2. Snapped stem
If one of your plant stems snaps, you can help mend it by moistening the broken area with water; use a Q-tip dipped into cinnamon powder and dab onto the fractured area. Then, some string is used to secure the Q-tip and hold the stem. The cinnamon helps to keep the bacteria from settling in while the stem seals itself.
3. Gnats
You will eventually find Gnats around your plant's soil, and these multiply over time. You can use 1/4 cup of hydrogen peroxide with one cup of water and pour it straight into the soil. You won't have to deal with them once you do this.
4. Use a toilet roll tube as a seedling starter
Instead of buying seedling boxes or starters from a nursery, you can use toilet roll tubes as a seedling starter. Cut them in half, place them on a plastic veggie tray, add soil and seeds, water them and cover with cling wrap. This creates a mini green house.
5. Soak matchsticks
When you soak unused matchsticks in water, phosphorus, sulfur, and magnesium are released. This water helps your plants: Phosphorus helps your plant develop strong root systems, and sulfur and magnesium help your plant produce leafy greens. Also, you can stick your matchsticks into the soil of your pot plant with the striker part in the soil and this will help get rid of Gnats and Aphids.
Tune in to the 'Workzone with Elana Afrika-Bredenkamp', weekdays from 09:00 - 12:00. Stream the show live here or download our mobile app here.
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